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Amazing Ourselves to Death: Neil Postman’s Brave New World Revisited
Neil Postman’s most popular work, Amusing Ourselves to Death (1985), provided an insightful critique of the effects of television on public discourse in America, arguing that television’s bias towards entertaining content trivializes serious issues and undermines the basis of democratic culture. Lance Strate, who earned his doctorate under Neil Postman and is one of the leading media ecology scholars of our time, re-examines Postman’s arguments, updating his analysis and critique for the twenty-first-century media environment that includes the expansion of television programming via cable and satellite as well as the Internet, the web, social media, and mobile technologies.
Integrating Postman’s arguments about television with his critique of technology in general, Strate considers the current state of journalism, politics, religion, and education in American culture. Strate also contextualizes Amusing Ourselves to Death through an examination of Postman’s life and career and the field of media ecology that Postman introduced. This is a book about our prospects for the future, which can only be based on the ways in which we think and talk about the present.
Integrating Postman’s arguments about television with his critique of technology in general, Strate considers the current state of journalism, politics, religion, and education in American culture. Strate also contextualizes Amusing Ourselves to Death through an examination of Postman’s life and career and the field of media ecology that Postman introduced. This is a book about our prospects for the future, which can only be based on the ways in which we think and talk about the present.
- GenresCultural
170 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 6, 2017
Stepping back from the book, a slight grin plays at the corners of my mouth. This is definitely the sort of book I enjoy, and its exploration of our culture and technology's transformative effect upon it was insightful and illuminating. It was intriguing reading this book after having just finished Postman's Technopoly, which is referenced rather frequently in this book (though not as much as Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death).
I would encourage teachers and educators to read this book - just be prepared, it's a mouthful. The research is rich and the analysis incisive. No quarters are spared and almost every corner of society is touched upon. I think pastors would also benefit from reading this, especially if they find themselves utilizing or wrestling with transmitting their services or sermons. The relationship between medium and message is nowhere more poignant than in the church.
In the end, I greatly enjoyed the book and found its contents quite thought-provoking. I'm looking forward to picking it apart and discussing it in an upcoming seminar. There are some interesting implications liturgically and societally which I'd love to toss around. But I think the book does good justice to Postman's work in decades past and Strate does a good job helping update the conversation and draw the contribution of other voices in alongside Postman's.
Here are my chapter-by-chapter thoughts/reactions:
Strate starts his first chapter with a nod to the story of Nero fiddling while Rome burns, noting that the poignancy of the saying lies in the inappropriateness of the Emperor's actions to the situation at hand. This, he argues, is Postman's thought in his seminal book Amusing Ourselves to Death. With a nod towards Postman's Technopoly, Strate points out that Postman was very concerned with the overwhelming nature of data and information and media modern technology was providing mankind. It is overwhelming in its totality. And Postman's fear was not that humanity would fall prey to a totalitarian government such as Orwell portrayed in his 1984, but rather that we would succumb to the trivialization of all of life such as Huxley conveyed in his Brave New World.
Strate takes time in his second chapter to attempt a brief biography of Neil Postman. As the book is both an analysis and furtherance of Postman's work, this is appropriate. It also helps the reader gain an appropriate respect for and appreciation of Postman's contribution to the conversation surrounding media and its medium. Strate continually comes back to the term 'media ecologist' and 'media ecology' throughout the chapter. It would seem that his perspective is that is the arena in which Postman ultimately maneuvered and postulated. What I appreciated the most about the chapter was the subtle revelation of Postman's sense of humor.
In the third chapter, Strate works towards defining what a media ecology is and how that concept has been situated in conversations (and the works) of scholars. Ultimately, it is a wide and pervasive area of study. As he is broaching a general definition of 'media ecology' Strate writes, "The re are no clear boundaries that separate subject matter studied within the field from subject matter that is considered outside of the field's area" (43). In other words, the boundaries are there, but they're not that clear and kind of fudgeable. Strate does offer a good conversation on medium and what it is and the boundaries of defining it, as well as how it relates to technological advance. The latter is the final exploration of the chapter, touching on how technological advance and/or change has repercussions, many of which cannot be anticipated and often fall against the intent of the initial technological advance.
The fourth chapter explores the changes which have occurred culturally because of the advent of the printing press and everything which has followed since then. There was a sense of perverse fascination in reading through his summary of what has occurred, like re-watching a train wreck one knows is going to be pretty bad. But the details of the transition always fascinate me. That the advent of electronic communication and media would have such a drastic impact upon western society (and especially American) is just amazing. In chronicling all the different transitions and changes which occurred, Strate regularly comes back to the principles and technological age which birthed America and highlights Postman's piercing question of whether America can survive the transition from technocracy of its birth to the Technopoly it is becoming today.
"Now this..." begins the fifth chapter, and so Strate turns his attention to the news. More generally, this chapter is about the flow of information in a culture, specifically critiquing how the flow of that information affects the populace's capacity to interpret, prioritize and engage the information. He upholds Postman's (and Ellul's) critiques of information overload. There is a sad irony as he recognizes that many currently (as of the writing of his book) receive the most "newsworthy" information from the essentially comedic shows of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The ultimate result of this entertainment orientation of the 'news' media is a populace poorly equipped to engage the issues at hand and fulfill the obligations of citizenship in a democracy.
Working through the impact of the media revolution which has occurred over the past century, Strate focuses upon the intersection of politics and television in the sixth chapter. His exploration unfolds largely as a degenerating tendency in political leadership, as political leaders learn the lessons of presenting themselves appropriately through the medium of television (and ultimately utilizing the Internet well also). He traces how the entertainment orientation of television has effectively transformed political campaigns into extended public celebrity contests, with the prize (the presidency) going to the one who can best convince the American public that he can be the best President. He starts the chapter with a short exploration of the show Survivor, and closes with the question of whether or not we have, through the rise of the medium television and the internet, effectively voted ourselves off the island.
What about religion? This could have been the title Strate chose for his seventh chapter. Yet he chose the more incisive phrase, "Neon Gods." The more narrow focus of the chapter is an analysis of the impact of the rise of electronic media upon religious culture in America. He notes the rise of the televangelists, where the entertainment orientation of electronic media has given rise to religious leaders who utilize the medium well. He also, almost as an aside, notes that the rise of electronic media also gave rise to 'stars,' which is what the ancients also called their deities (119). In places his analysis of modern culture's intaraction with electronic media bears echos or resonances of James K. A. Smith's liturgical analysis. He closes the chapter with the sad point that all of the information and 'noise' brought about by the rise of electronic media may be preventing us from hearing that 'still, small voice of God.'
In his penultimate chapter, Strate focuses a little more directly upon education. Up to this point, he had indicated or implicated educational ramifications for this transition to electronic media that has taken place. In the eighth chapter he focuses upon the impact upon education. In short his argument (which seems to be essentially Postman's argument) is that the modern practice of eagerly jamming new technological trends into education, we are unknowingly teaching children things which essentially undercut the education we actually want to give them. As an interesting side note, I almost wonder if he (or Postman) would want an education that 'walks' a child through technological development. In other words, first the child learns to write papers out in handwriting and then the child is taught about word processors. Additionally, Strate raises up Postman's critique that there is no metanarrative for education, no story to situate the education within--there is no god or moral purpose driving education. And that is was must be regained for education to have a chance of adequately educating and discipling children.
The title of Strate's last chapter is "The Tempest" and it is both a meteorological reference as well as a literary one. The chapter is a call to action. Or, more specifically, a call to an intelligent discussion in the midst of the tempest of our technopoly. He holds to Postman's claims that there is a way for us to be a 'loving resistance fighter' of the transformation electronic media is unleashing upon modernity. Like Postman, he upholds education as the most important arena to rescue and get right in relation to technological advance. But there is hope, he affirms, if we work in the areas we can and strive to illuminate those changes and transformations technology is working in and around us. We don't have to blindly accept the changes it wroughts and we can work towards a better tomorrow.
I would encourage teachers and educators to read this book - just be prepared, it's a mouthful. The research is rich and the analysis incisive. No quarters are spared and almost every corner of society is touched upon. I think pastors would also benefit from reading this, especially if they find themselves utilizing or wrestling with transmitting their services or sermons. The relationship between medium and message is nowhere more poignant than in the church.
In the end, I greatly enjoyed the book and found its contents quite thought-provoking. I'm looking forward to picking it apart and discussing it in an upcoming seminar. There are some interesting implications liturgically and societally which I'd love to toss around. But I think the book does good justice to Postman's work in decades past and Strate does a good job helping update the conversation and draw the contribution of other voices in alongside Postman's.
Here are my chapter-by-chapter thoughts/reactions:
Strate starts his first chapter with a nod to the story of Nero fiddling while Rome burns, noting that the poignancy of the saying lies in the inappropriateness of the Emperor's actions to the situation at hand. This, he argues, is Postman's thought in his seminal book Amusing Ourselves to Death. With a nod towards Postman's Technopoly, Strate points out that Postman was very concerned with the overwhelming nature of data and information and media modern technology was providing mankind. It is overwhelming in its totality. And Postman's fear was not that humanity would fall prey to a totalitarian government such as Orwell portrayed in his 1984, but rather that we would succumb to the trivialization of all of life such as Huxley conveyed in his Brave New World.
Strate takes time in his second chapter to attempt a brief biography of Neil Postman. As the book is both an analysis and furtherance of Postman's work, this is appropriate. It also helps the reader gain an appropriate respect for and appreciation of Postman's contribution to the conversation surrounding media and its medium. Strate continually comes back to the term 'media ecologist' and 'media ecology' throughout the chapter. It would seem that his perspective is that is the arena in which Postman ultimately maneuvered and postulated. What I appreciated the most about the chapter was the subtle revelation of Postman's sense of humor.
In the third chapter, Strate works towards defining what a media ecology is and how that concept has been situated in conversations (and the works) of scholars. Ultimately, it is a wide and pervasive area of study. As he is broaching a general definition of 'media ecology' Strate writes, "The re are no clear boundaries that separate subject matter studied within the field from subject matter that is considered outside of the field's area" (43). In other words, the boundaries are there, but they're not that clear and kind of fudgeable. Strate does offer a good conversation on medium and what it is and the boundaries of defining it, as well as how it relates to technological advance. The latter is the final exploration of the chapter, touching on how technological advance and/or change has repercussions, many of which cannot be anticipated and often fall against the intent of the initial technological advance.
The fourth chapter explores the changes which have occurred culturally because of the advent of the printing press and everything which has followed since then. There was a sense of perverse fascination in reading through his summary of what has occurred, like re-watching a train wreck one knows is going to be pretty bad. But the details of the transition always fascinate me. That the advent of electronic communication and media would have such a drastic impact upon western society (and especially American) is just amazing. In chronicling all the different transitions and changes which occurred, Strate regularly comes back to the principles and technological age which birthed America and highlights Postman's piercing question of whether America can survive the transition from technocracy of its birth to the Technopoly it is becoming today.
"Now this..." begins the fifth chapter, and so Strate turns his attention to the news. More generally, this chapter is about the flow of information in a culture, specifically critiquing how the flow of that information affects the populace's capacity to interpret, prioritize and engage the information. He upholds Postman's (and Ellul's) critiques of information overload. There is a sad irony as he recognizes that many currently (as of the writing of his book) receive the most "newsworthy" information from the essentially comedic shows of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The ultimate result of this entertainment orientation of the 'news' media is a populace poorly equipped to engage the issues at hand and fulfill the obligations of citizenship in a democracy.
Working through the impact of the media revolution which has occurred over the past century, Strate focuses upon the intersection of politics and television in the sixth chapter. His exploration unfolds largely as a degenerating tendency in political leadership, as political leaders learn the lessons of presenting themselves appropriately through the medium of television (and ultimately utilizing the Internet well also). He traces how the entertainment orientation of television has effectively transformed political campaigns into extended public celebrity contests, with the prize (the presidency) going to the one who can best convince the American public that he can be the best President. He starts the chapter with a short exploration of the show Survivor, and closes with the question of whether or not we have, through the rise of the medium television and the internet, effectively voted ourselves off the island.
What about religion? This could have been the title Strate chose for his seventh chapter. Yet he chose the more incisive phrase, "Neon Gods." The more narrow focus of the chapter is an analysis of the impact of the rise of electronic media upon religious culture in America. He notes the rise of the televangelists, where the entertainment orientation of electronic media has given rise to religious leaders who utilize the medium well. He also, almost as an aside, notes that the rise of electronic media also gave rise to 'stars,' which is what the ancients also called their deities (119). In places his analysis of modern culture's intaraction with electronic media bears echos or resonances of James K. A. Smith's liturgical analysis. He closes the chapter with the sad point that all of the information and 'noise' brought about by the rise of electronic media may be preventing us from hearing that 'still, small voice of God.'
In his penultimate chapter, Strate focuses a little more directly upon education. Up to this point, he had indicated or implicated educational ramifications for this transition to electronic media that has taken place. In the eighth chapter he focuses upon the impact upon education. In short his argument (which seems to be essentially Postman's argument) is that the modern practice of eagerly jamming new technological trends into education, we are unknowingly teaching children things which essentially undercut the education we actually want to give them. As an interesting side note, I almost wonder if he (or Postman) would want an education that 'walks' a child through technological development. In other words, first the child learns to write papers out in handwriting and then the child is taught about word processors. Additionally, Strate raises up Postman's critique that there is no metanarrative for education, no story to situate the education within--there is no god or moral purpose driving education. And that is was must be regained for education to have a chance of adequately educating and discipling children.
The title of Strate's last chapter is "The Tempest" and it is both a meteorological reference as well as a literary one. The chapter is a call to action. Or, more specifically, a call to an intelligent discussion in the midst of the tempest of our technopoly. He holds to Postman's claims that there is a way for us to be a 'loving resistance fighter' of the transformation electronic media is unleashing upon modernity. Like Postman, he upholds education as the most important arena to rescue and get right in relation to technological advance. But there is hope, he affirms, if we work in the areas we can and strive to illuminate those changes and transformations technology is working in and around us. We don't have to blindly accept the changes it wroughts and we can work towards a better tomorrow.
November 25, 2017
A highly intelligent, lucidly reasoned and written assessment of Neil Postman's work. Postman died on the doorstep of the social media age, and Strate's book brings Postman's thinking to bear on the media world now burgeoning around us. Well-balanced, clear, supported by copious pertinent references, Amazing Ourselves to Death will be the book that I'll point to when people ask me where they can learn more about Neil Postman.
January 8, 2025
I read this immediately after Neil Postman's "Amusing Ourselves to Death", because the 30-year gap between these two titles is a decent (and given the rhythm of development and evolution these days, I daresay even considerable) amount of time to have an idea (and to a certain extent, confirmation) of how visionary Neil Postman's book was. Of course, by reading "social media" and "Internet" instead of TV in certain segments.
With the reference text still fresh in mind, and Strate so frequently referencing Postman, it was easy to continue on the path opened by the latter in 1985. The structure is the same: two parts of 5 chapters each, with the first part framing a context for the aspects expounded in part two, which mirrors the topics Postman focused on in 1985 as most affected - news media, religion, education and elections - and expanded by Strate in 2014 in light of the evolution these domains under the influence of the new technologies emerging in the latest electronic media.
Even though I enjoyed Postman's verve and missed it a little in Strate, this might keep readers focused and not distracted into dismissing a relevant text as a simple rant. It supports both Postman's and Strate's signaling that there is a need for balance to help us resist what McLuhan calls the "maelstrom" and Strate a "tempest": the information assault / overload. We can resist by just taking a break, not only to rest, but simply to deal with the information we just were confronted with.
Why is this important?
Because the direction our relationship with media has taken can result in us as zombified viewers (the media, with their siren song called entertainment has no difficulty casting its spell, since the content is conceived and designed to keep us hooked - the "Breaking News" chapter, an advanced elaboration of Postman's "Now... This" chapter walks us through the measures being taken in this sense: the personal appearance of the people in media, framing information from a sensationalist or scandal perspective, framing interaction as competition instead of dialogue) viewers who are easy to please as long as constantly stimulated and not guilt tripped for not digesting the content, instead of being critical reviewers of content who then act towards a purpose equipped with this information.
Postman passed away in 2003, but Strate has the opportunity to witness later steps by enhancing the experience with media on a sensory level, sight and hearing being joined by touch and vibration.
The fact that so much researched and reasoned content can be contained in only 150 pages seems to be a nod to one aspect often pointed out: the couple of tyrants reigning supreme in the digital era of communication - instant gratification & impatience with delay. Strate resorts to the familiar biblical quote" there is a time for everything" and we should probably avoid dedicating it to one single thing.
Just break the spell sometimes, take a break to evaluate, analyze, think, train the tolerance for delayed response... or just redirect connection to not another media but to ourselves and those around us, community and society.
"Amazing Ourselves to Death" will settle you after the "Amusing Ourselves to Death" has shaken you.
With the reference text still fresh in mind, and Strate so frequently referencing Postman, it was easy to continue on the path opened by the latter in 1985. The structure is the same: two parts of 5 chapters each, with the first part framing a context for the aspects expounded in part two, which mirrors the topics Postman focused on in 1985 as most affected - news media, religion, education and elections - and expanded by Strate in 2014 in light of the evolution these domains under the influence of the new technologies emerging in the latest electronic media.
Even though I enjoyed Postman's verve and missed it a little in Strate, this might keep readers focused and not distracted into dismissing a relevant text as a simple rant. It supports both Postman's and Strate's signaling that there is a need for balance to help us resist what McLuhan calls the "maelstrom" and Strate a "tempest": the information assault / overload. We can resist by just taking a break, not only to rest, but simply to deal with the information we just were confronted with.
Why is this important?
Because the direction our relationship with media has taken can result in us as zombified viewers (the media, with their siren song called entertainment has no difficulty casting its spell, since the content is conceived and designed to keep us hooked - the "Breaking News" chapter, an advanced elaboration of Postman's "Now... This" chapter walks us through the measures being taken in this sense: the personal appearance of the people in media, framing information from a sensationalist or scandal perspective, framing interaction as competition instead of dialogue) viewers who are easy to please as long as constantly stimulated and not guilt tripped for not digesting the content, instead of being critical reviewers of content who then act towards a purpose equipped with this information.
Postman passed away in 2003, but Strate has the opportunity to witness later steps by enhancing the experience with media on a sensory level, sight and hearing being joined by touch and vibration.
The fact that so much researched and reasoned content can be contained in only 150 pages seems to be a nod to one aspect often pointed out: the couple of tyrants reigning supreme in the digital era of communication - instant gratification & impatience with delay. Strate resorts to the familiar biblical quote" there is a time for everything" and we should probably avoid dedicating it to one single thing.
Just break the spell sometimes, take a break to evaluate, analyze, think, train the tolerance for delayed response... or just redirect connection to not another media but to ourselves and those around us, community and society.
"Amazing Ourselves to Death" will settle you after the "Amusing Ourselves to Death" has shaken you.
August 25, 2022
A very healthy introspection into manipulative media.
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October 19, 2015302.23 S8981 2014
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